Comic Book ‘Batman’ Writer Tom King Teams Up With Ava Duvernay To Co-Write ‘The New Gods’

It is being reported by The Wrap that comic book writer Tom King, is poised to co-write The New Gods movie with Ava DuVernay, the director of Selma and A Wrinkle In Time. DuVernay was previously slated to direct the movie but it seems like she would be in the writer’s chair for this project, with assistance from ex-CIA officer King.

Comic book fans will recognize King as possibly the most talented and innovative writers today. He is the brains behind DC’s most famous storylines such as the Rebirth-era Batman comics.

King: First Flight

King got his start in comics as an intern for both DC and Marvel in the late 1990s. Before he joined the CIA, he worked closely with then X-Men writer, Chris Claremont. After his stint with the CIA, King wrote his debut novel, A Once Crowded Sky. The novel was positively received and brought his attention to the higher-ups in DC who promptly hired him to co-write Grayson comics (aka Nightwing). From there, he would go on to reboot DC’s The Omega Men in 2015 and revamp the character of Marvel’s Vision (played by Paul Bettany in the MCU).

His work on Vision with Gabriel Walta won him the prestigious Eisner Award for Best Limited Series. The Eisner Awards are given to writers for their creativity and achievements in American comic books. The award is the equivalent of what a Grammy Award is to an artist and an Oscar to an actor.

King didn’t stop there though, he would go on to write bi-weekly Batman comics which garnered praise from the industry and fans alike. He was then chosen to write the DC Universe limited series, Heroes in Crisis (a large-scale murder-mystery crossover event).

He would go on to win his second Eisner Award for Best Writer, owing to his work on the brilliant 12-issue series of Mister Miracle.

The New Gods Movie: Plot & Release Date

The New Gods were created by legendary artist Jack Kirby in 1971 and the story focuses on twin alien planets, the peaceful New Genesis and the hellish Apokolips. Both planets are governed by equally powerful but morally opposite leaders. The New Gods consists of characters such as Orion, Metron, Highfather, and everyone’s favorite big bad, the tyrannical Darkseid.

Ardent DC fans have been clamoring for Darkseid on the big screen and it looks like they will be getting their wish. While plot details have yet to be released and with creative writers like King and DuVernay on board, the New Gods movie will surely blow fans away.